The Manteca Unified Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing tonight regarding the possible adoption of a plan to raise school facilities fees to meet the expected student-growth impacts in the next 20 years.

That plan is contained in a Residential and Commercial Fee Justification Studies presented to the board. If adopted, the proposed school fees would become effective 60 days after the resolution is adopted by the board.

It calls for seven more elementary schools and two high schools to be built over the next 20 years.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing during the board meeting tonight to provide their input. The public portion of the meeting will begin at 7 o’clock in the board room of the district office, 2271 W. Louise Avenue.

According to the study that will be discussed tonight, the district is “fully justified” to levy the “the maximum residential school fee of $3.36 per square foot” for all future residential development within the district boundaries that have not set up a fee to meet the anticipated increases in student population.

Based on data provided by the incorporated cities of Manteca, Lathrop and Stockton, plus portions of unincorporated San Joaquin County areas covered by the school district, approximately 21,064 additional residential units could be constructed within the district’s boundaries through 2035.

Of those projected residential units, 2,633 identified as single family detached units, and 963 multi-family units have mitigation school fees in place to fiscally support the projected student population growth.

That leaves 17,468 future residential units without school-fee impact mitigation agreements in place – 13,641 of which are expected to be single-family housing with 3,827 multi-family units or apartments.

To accommodate the above projected population and residential growth in the district, and to meet the expected number of students resulting from that growth, the district will need to construct new K-8 schools and high school facilities for grades 9-12.

Using current design capacities of 850 students at the K-8 grade level and 1,500 students at high school campuses, the district will need to construct seven new K-8 schools and two new high schools.

“Based on school facility cost estimates provided by the school district, a K-8 school is projected to cost $30,000,000 and a 9-12 school is projected to cost $100,000,000,” according to the Residential Development School Fee Justification Study.